Elongated structural member

ABSTRACT

An elongated structural member being formed of a pair of T-shaped chords located in a parallel spaced apart arrangement with a plurality of straight brace members being welded or otherwise secured there between. The brace members are located in a spaced apart arrangement. The directly adjacent brace members are located in an approximately ninety degree angle relative to each other. The directly adjacent brace members are staggered being located on opposite sides of the T-shaped chords.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field Of The Invention

[0002] The subject matter of this invention relates to a buildingstructure for floors and roofs and more particularly to a buildingstructure formed as a truss, joist, purlin or girder.

[0003] 2. Description Of The Related Art

[0004] In the constructing of low rise or high rise multi-storybuildings, steel is the basic structural material, and many steps areinvolved in the design assembly of the different steel components. Thestructural engineer must make his or her calculations and drawings. Thesteel fabricator thereafter must make fabrication or shop drawingsshowing the location and dimensions of each column, main girder, andsecondary beam, including bolt holes, sizes and locations, cutting,trimming and welding indications for beam end connections and othernumerous details. These procedures must be followed for each job and areexceedingly time consuming and expensive. There is a considerableduplication of effort by the structural engineer and fabricator as suchcheck and recheck each other's work. The larger the job, the greater theconfusion and inherently the greater the possibility of human error.

[0005] Once the steel fabricator has finished his or her drawings andfabricated the various components, such are delivered to the job site.The columns are erected and the main girders are welded or bolted to thecolumns. The secondary beams or purlins are then welded to the girders,and finally a steel deck is welded to both the girders and the beams anda concrete slab may be poured onto the deck. As the height of thebuilding increases, all the operations become even more time consumingand costly.

[0006] The various operations for constructing the floors and roofs ofbuildings involves considerable duplication and wasted effort. Asubstantial number of these problems could be completely avoided if thebuilding structure was such that it could be prefabricated in a plantand transported to the job site for easily assembly by relativelyunskilled workmen.

[0007] In the past, it has been known to construct a structural memberwhich can be defined as a truss, joist, purlin or girder which has apair of chords spaced apart and are connected by some form of a bracingsystem. The bracing system is usually substantially open. Such astructure can be made to be exceedingly strong and is more than capableof supporting the weight of any floor or roof.

[0008] There is always a need in the building industry to design a new,inexpensive, exceedingly strong truss, joist, purlin or girder which ispleasing to the eye and therefore can be used to facilitate themanufacturing of building structures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] One of the advantages of the present invention is that thedifferent submembers that form the structural member of the presentinvention are commonly available not requiring any specialtymanufacturing of a submember. One of the embodiments of the presentinvention comprises the forming of an elongated structural member of anelongated upper T-shaped chord and an elongated lower T-shaped chord.Interconnecting the different chords are a first brace member and asecond brace member with these brace members assuming an inclined,non-perpendicular position relative to the chords. These brace membersare located in a staggered relationship relative to the chords. Thechords are located in a parallel relationship in respect to each other.

[0010] In another embodiment of this invention, the brace members arelocated at approximately a ninety degree angle relative to each other.

[0011] In a further embodiment of this invention, the brace members aredefined as being L-shaped.

[0012] In a still further embodiment of this invention, there areutilized a plurality of the first brace members located evenly spacedapart and a plurality of the second brace members also located evenlyspaced apart.

[0013] In a still further embodiment of this invention, the top chordhas attached thereto a plurality of bolts with the bolts being locatedin a spaced apart arrangement with these bolts facilitating theconnection to a cement or wood floor or ceiling joist.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0014] For a better understanding of the present invention, reference isto be made to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that thepresent invention is not limited to the precise arrangement shown in thedrawings.

[0015]FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a portion of the elongatedstructural member of the present invention;

[0016]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view through the elongated structuralmember of the present invention taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

[0017]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 3-3 ofFIG. 1 but showing the top chord as it would be utilized in constructingof a typical composite floor-truss-joist system;

[0018]FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 and taken also along line 4-4of FIG. 1 showing the elongated structural member of the presentinvention as it would be utilized in constructing of a typical panelizedroof-truss-joist system; and

[0019]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1but showing the elongated structural member of the present invention asit would be used to fabricate the typical roof-truss-joist systemutilizing a metal deck.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Referring particularly to the drawing, there is shown theelongated structural member 10 of this invention. The member 10 isconstructed of a top chord 12 and a bottom chord 14. The top chord 12and bottom chord 14 are of the same shape and may be the same size ordifferent sizes. The top chord 12 will normally be constructed entirelyof steel and has a horizontal member 16 to which is integrally connecteda vertical leg 18. The vertical leg 18 is integrally connected to thehorizontal member 16 at the approximate mid point of the width of thehorizontal member 16. The vertical leg 18 has a front side 20 and a rearside 22. Commonly, the thickness of the horizontal member 16 will varyfrom one eighth of an inch to over two inches as required by design.Also, the thickness of the vertical leg 18 could vary from one eighth ofan inch to over one inch. The bottom chord 14 is also formed of ahorizontal member 24 and a vertical leg 26. The vertical leg 26 has afront side 28 and a rear side 30. The top chord 12 is located paralleland spaced apart from the bottom chord 14 with the spacing beingprecisely determined by design.

[0021] Connected, as by welding, between each front side of each of thechords 12 and 14 are a plurality of first brace members 32. It is to benoted that the first brace members 32 are located parallel and spacedapart. All of the first brace members 32 are of the same length. Thefirst brace members 32 are located in a non-perpendicular relationshiprelative to the top chord 12 and the bottom chord 14. Typically, theangle of inclination of each of the first brace members 32 will be atabout a forty-five degree angle relative to the longitudinal dimensionof the top chord 12 and the bottom chord 14. There also may be requiredby design to include perpendicular braces between top chord 12 andbottom chord 14 for added bracing support.

[0022] There is also mounted between the rear sides 22 and 30 aplurality of second brace members 34. Again, the second brace members 34are located parallel to each other and spaced apart and again aremounted in a forty-five degree angular relationship relative to thelongitudinal dimension of the top chord 12 and the bottom chord 14. Thismeans that the angular relationship between the directly adjacent pairof a first brace member 32 and a second brace member 34 is an angle A,shown in FIG. 1. This angle A will typically be ninety degrees.

[0023] Typically, the brace members 32 and 34 will all be of the samelength. Also, typically, the configuration of the brace members 32 and34 would be the same. A common configuration for the brace members 32and 34 would be an L-shaped member. However, also pipes, tubes, rods oreven flat plates could be used.

[0024] It is important to note that the brace members 32 and 34 arestaggered. This means that when a brace member 32 is mounted between thefront sides 20 and 28, that the next adjacent brace member 34 is mountedbetween the rear sides 22 and 30 with the next directly adjacent bracemember 32 again being mounted between the front sides 20 and 28, and soforth. Although the brace members 32 and 34 are shown to comprisestraight members, it is entirely possible that the brace members 32 and34 could assume some shape other than straight, such as a slightlyarcuate shape or even a stepped shape, but it happens to be the straightmembers are the least expensive and most commonly available. It may bealso required by design for heavier loading to utilize a pair of braces72 and 34 in a side-by-side arrangement.

[0025] When using the elongated member 10 of this invention in theforming of a floor-truss-joist system, there may be fixedly attached, asby welding, to the upper surface of the horizontal member 16 a pluralityof large headed bolts 36. The bolts 36 will be mounted in a spaced apartarrangement along the longitudinal length of the horizontal member 16and at the transverse midpoint. Also fixedly mounted on the uppersurface of the members 12 is a metal deck 38. Concrete 40 is to bepoured within the metal deck 38 completely covering the metal bolts 36.When the concrete 40 drys and hardens, an exceedingly stronginterconnection is provided between the concrete 40 and the elongatedstructural member 10 due to the embedding of the bolts 36 within theconcrete 40 forming a composite section.

[0026] When utilizing of the structural member of this invention toconstruct a panelized roof-truss-joist system, there is also attached,as by welding to the upper surface of the horizontal member 16, aplurality of spaced apart bolts 42. Again, the bolts 42 will normally beevenly spaced apart and will extend the entire longitudinal length ofthe horizontal members 16. It is to be noted that both bolts 36 and 42are positioned along the transverse midpoint of the horizontal members16. The bolts 42 are to be mounted within a wood support member 44. Thebolts 42 are to be located within appropriate holes formed within thesupport member 44, which are not shown. Nailed, stapled or otherwisecommonly attached to the wood support member 44 is wood paneling 46.Typically, the wood paneling 46 will comprise a series of plywood panelsor oriented strand boards.

[0027] In order to utilize the elongated structural member of thepresent invention to construct a typical roof-truss-joist system, referto FIG. 5 where there is a metal deck 48 welded or screwed onto theupper surface of the horizontal member 16. This type of structure iscommonly used in conjunction with fabricating of steel roof deckstructures.

[0028] The present invention may be embodied in other specific formswithout departing from the essential attributes thereof. Referenceshould be made to the appending claims rather than the foregoingspecification as indicating the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An elongated structural member used in themanufacturing of houses, buildings, bridges and the like, said elongatedstructural member comprising: an elongated upper chord having a T-shapedefining a first horizontal member and a first vertical leg, said firstvertical leg being attached to said first horizontal member at themidpoint in width of said first horizontal member, said first verticalleg having a front side and a rear side; an elongated lower chord havinga T-shape defining a second horizontal member and a second vertical leg,said second vertical leg being attached to said second horizontal memberat the midpoint in width of said second horizontal member, said secondvertical leg having a second front side and a second rear side, saidupper chord being located in a reverse position to said lower chord withsaid first vertical leg being aligned with said second vertical leg; afirst brace member being fixed to said first front side of said firstvertical leg and said second front side of said second vertical leg andassuming an inclined, non-perpendicular position relative to said upperchord and said lower chord; and a second brace member being fixed tosaid first rear side of said first vertical leg and said second rearside of said second vertical leg and assuming an inclined,non-perpendicular position relative to said upper chord and said lowerchord, said second brace member being longitudinally spaced from saidfirst brace member.
 2. The elongated structural member as defined inclaim 1 wherein: said first brace member being located at approximatelya ninety degree angle relative to said second brace member.
 3. Theelongated structural member as defined in claim 1 wherein: both saidfirst brace member and said second brace member being L-shaped.
 4. Theelongated structural member as defined in claim 3 wherein: said firstbrace member being of the same size and same length as said second bracemember.
 5. The elongated structural member as defined in claim 1wherein: there being a plurality of said first brace members locatedevenly spaced apart, there being a plurality of said second bracemembers located evenly spaced apart.
 6. The elongated structural memberas defined in claim 1 wherein: said top chord having attached thereto aplurality of bolts, said bolts being located in a spaced apartarrangement on said first horizontal member, said bolts facilitatingconnection to a concrete or wood roof or floor joist.
 7. The elongatedstructural member as defined in claim 1 wherein: said top chord havingattached thereto a metal deck, said metal deck being mounted on saidfirst horizontal member.